Tis the Season
by NinjasRockYourFace
Summary: A collection of oneshots for the twelve days of Christmas. T for language. Chapter 11: Elli x Doctor; Chapter 12: Jack x Ann. Complete.
1. O Christmas Tree

**A/N**: Okay, so technically, the twelve days of Christmas are supposed to be _after_ the holiday, but I was too impatient, so I'll pretend that it comes before Christmas. I'll post a new oneshot everyday, and the last will be put up on the 25th. Anyway, about this particular oneshot, I don't know if it can really be classified as Popuri/Kai because it's more of a family type thing, but whatever. I originally wrote this as a Doctor x Elli story, but then I realized that Elli was too peppy, and Doctor probably isn't strong enough to chop down a tree by himself. Or maybe he is, but in the end, I think it worked out better with this pairing. Hope you like it. :)

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Harvest Moon or any of its characters or plots. This fanfiction is merely for recreational purposes.

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**O Christmas Tree**  
December 14, 2008  
_Kai x Popuri_

Winter was upon the small village called Mineral Town. Snow drifted lazily from the sky, covering everything with a frosty sheet of white. Somewhere in this rural area, a tan, sun-loving husband was chopping down a tree while his wife watched amusedly.

With another grunt, Kai took a swing at the pine tree that his wife, Popuri, had picked out.

"You can do it, Kai!" Popuri cheered from the sidelines. "Just a few more swings should do it!"

Kai sighed and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. "Can't we just get a fake tree? It's starting to seem like a really good alternative." His dark eyes studied the tree for a while and then he resumed the process of hacking away at the trunk.

"But we have to have a _real_ tree!" Popuri protested. A small gust of wind ruffled her long, pink hair as she walked to stand beside Kai. "Besides, a fake tree doesn't smell good. At least a real tree will." Placing a gentle hand on his shoulder, she stood up on her tip toes to whisper into his ear, "Do it for me? Please?"

Kai looked down at Popuri, who had put on a puppy-dog face. "The things I do for you," he muttered with a hint of a smile.

Popuri beamed and gave him a small kiss on the cheek. "Thank you!" She giggled happily and skipped back to the spot she had previously been standing.

"Timber!" Kai yelled as the tree started to fall. He watched excitedly as the tree tipped, fell into the snow and made… no sound at all. "Hmm," Kai rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "I expected that to be more impressive. Like, a big cloud of snow would rise up or it would sound like an explosion. Or something."

Popuri smiled and dragged a toboggan over to where Kai could load the tree. "Now we can take it home and decorate it!"

"Yup," Kai said as he pushed the tree onto the sled and strapped it down. "Phew. The rest should be easy," he turned to look at the rest of the pine trees when Popuri tugged on the sleeve of his coat.

"Um, Kai…?" Popuri bit her lip and pointed at the sled, which was slowly starting to slide down the mountain.

"What?" He turned back around and immediately noticed that something was missing. "Where's the- oh, _shit_." Immediately, he started chasing the sled, pulling Popuri with him.

"Ack! Kai!" Popuri complained as she ran, stumbled, and ran some more. Her black scarf billowed out behind her as her husband dragged her along.

"We have to save it!" Kai puffed, closing in on the runaway tree. "Aha!" he yelled, tackling the sled, and Popuri fell into the snow face first. Unfortunately, this was not the end of their adventure, as the sled had still not stopped. It was merely towing the unlucky couple along for the ride.

The little toboggan gained speed as it slid down the mountain and before long, another cluster of pine trees was in view.

"Kai! We're going to crash into the trees!" Popuri shouted as she hung onto his side for dear life.

"Okay, when I say 'now', you're going to let go of me and push yourself away from the sled, to the right. I'll follow," Kai said, calculating the distance between them and the trees that were getting bigger by the second. Popuri nodded.

After a few moments, Kai adjusted his grip on the sled to make it easier to push off. "Ready?"

"Yeah," Popuri said unsurely, watching the trees in front of them.

"Three, two, one. Now!" Kai ordered, and waited until Popuri had let go to follow. They rolled through the snow, slowly losing speed as the sled just kept going. When the two finally stopped, a few moments passed and then a crunch sounded from a ways down the mountain.

"Poppy, you okay?" Kai asked, crawling his way over to Popuri, who was lying face up in the snow, breathing hard.

"Yes," she replied with a smile. "That was kind of fun."

Kai chucked and collapsed into the snow beside her. "If by fun you mean almost dying, then yes. That was fun. And I never want to do it again."

"Oh, stop," Popuri hit him playfully on the shoulder. "It's not every day you go sliding down Mother's Hill after a Christmas tree."

"I think you mean, 'It's not every day you go sliding down Mother's Hill after a Christmas tree and _almost die_'."

Popuri huffed and rolled her eyes. "Fine. But it was still exciting."

After a pause, Kai sat up and said, "I guess we should go get the tree, huh?" He stood up, dusted the snow off his coat, and offered a gloved hand to his wife.

"Probably," Popuri agreed as Kai helped her up. They made their way to the sled and inspected the damage.

"Well, it doesn't look _too_ bad," Kai concluded. "I mean, aside from the fact that the top foot of the tree is hanging on by a strip of bark, it could still work."

Popuri didn't argue, although she was a little miffed that the tree wasn't in perfect condition.

Hand in hand, the two dragged the tree behind them all the way to the poultry farm, where they would set it up.

Rick laughed uncontrollably at the sight of the tree while Lillia tried to hold back a smile. This year, they would have to _hang_ a star off the top of the tree instead of placing it on the top.

"Hey! Don't laugh!" Popuri objected, punching her brother in the shoulder. "We worked hard getting this tree here."

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry. But it just looks so ridiculous." Rick gestured towards the top of the Christmas tree, which was now set up in the middle of the living room. "I mean, come on."

"Whatever," Popuri sighed, but smiled nonetheless. "Now we can decorate it!" She skipped over to Kai, who was sitting in front of the fireplace with a mug of cocoa. "Come on, let's go decorate!" she said, tugging on his arm.

"Alright, alright. Calm down, Poppy." He stood up and walked towards the array of ornaments that littered the floor around the tree after setting his mug on the table.

The four family members set to work, putting up the lights and ornaments. Occasionally, Popuri would stop to eat a cookie, and Kai would follow her into the kitchen, trying to trap her under the mistletoe. Rick would clear his throat loudly and Kai would roll his eyes and kiss Popuri anyway. And then everything would continue as normal. Or at least, as normal as a family where the girls had naturally pink hair and the men basically loathed each other could get.

When they all stepped back to admire the finished product, what they saw was a very… diverse tree. The side of the tree that Popuri had been working on was pink – pink ornaments, ribbons, and the works. Kai's was decorated with shells and mini umbrellas. Rick's section turned out to be a big collection of… chickens? And Lillia's was filled with picture ornaments and other family memorabilia.

"Umm," they all said in unison, but had nothing else to add.

"Well, it's kind of dysfunctional. Like this family," Kai joked, and Popuri laughed.

"I like it," she decided.

"Me, too," her mother added, stepping over to give Popuri's hand a squeeze.

"Yeah," Kai agreed.

"Sure, why not?" Rick shrugged. "It's… unique."

Kai threw an arm around Popuri and pulled her to his side. "Merry early Christmas, baby," he whispered into her ear, kissing the top of her head.

"Merry early Christmas," she said back, and wrapped her arms around his waist.


	2. Up on the Rooftop

**A/N**: I just had to write this pairing - it's too cute! I think I like this story better than the first one, so I hope everyone likes it. :)

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Harvest Moon or any of its characters or plots. This fanfiction is merely for recreational purposes.

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**Stringing Up the Lights**  
December 15, 2008  
_Skye x Claire_

It was my first Christmas here in Forget-Me-Not Valley, so I was new to most holiday-related customs and such. And using the term "new" was putting it mildly. I was so unprepared for this winter that by the time everyone was ready for Christmas, I was still trying to come out of my food coma from Thanksgiving.

And this is how I found myself dangling _upside-down_ from my rooftop at one-thirty in the morning on a Tuesday night. Well, Wednesday morning, I suppose.

Apparently, in this strange little village where I owned a farm, it was customary to "string up Christmas lights along the roofs of houses and buildings during the winter season," as quoted by Mayor Thomas. Not that you would put them up during any other time of the year, but whatever. Anyway, this tradition is so important that it is now_ mandatory_. At least, that is what the mayor said. And when I was informed of this, I thought, "Screw the mayor, what does he know?" Alas, I was ill-fated and eventually had to go out and buy the damned lights because everyone in town all but torched my house.

So I finally got home with the equipment and lights and a whole lot of stuff that I probably didn't even need. Of course, with this being a very technologically inept town, the lights were not up to date. And by this, I mean that if one light didn't work, none of them worked. Quite frankly, this sucked. Big-time.

So I sat on the floor of my house and checked every one of those stupid light bulbs until it finally lit up. This long and drawn-out process took me all afternoon and it was well after dark when I was ready to set up the lights.

This was where I made another mistake. You should _never, ever_ try to put up Christmas lights in the dark. But because of my stubborn and determined attitude, I was not going to stop until every string of lights was somewhere along my rooftop.

Somehow, I managed to climb onto the roof while holding both a tool box and three rounds of lights. Away I went with the hammer, nails, and lights, stringing them up like a paranormal human with super speed. When every round of lights was held up against the side of the roof, I realized that I had forgotten to set up something: the extension cords.

By this time, it was already one in the morning and I was tired, stupid, and perhaps delusional. So to solve the problem of the missing extension cords, I figured I could somehow hang off the roof by my feet and grab the cords that were sitting by the front door.

The saddest part of this? It actually seemed like a good idea at the time. Looking back on it, I must have been really delusional because not only was there no possible way to hang from the roof with my feet, but even with my arms stretched out, there was a good five or six feet between my the tips of my fingers and the ground. If I hadn't miraculously been held up by the light cords, I would have definitely died. Or at least have been severely injured.

So anyhow, I had managed to get one of my ankles caught in the light cords while the other was hooked onto the edge of my unnaturally sturdy gutter. I hung there helplessly while all the blood in my body rushed to my head. Perhaps Takakura would come out randomly in the middle of the night and help me down.

Sadly, it was not to be because that certainly did not happen. Instead, I hung there limply as the minutes ticked by, unable to grab hold of anything that would help be back up.

"Damn it!" I cursed, afraid to do anything else but talk. One move and I could fall from my precarious spot and die. Maybe.

Suddenly, I could hear the sound of footsteps in the snow, and they weren't far off. Perhaps I would be saved after all!

"You look like you could use some help," a smooth voice said from a few feet away. I couldn't see him because I was stuck facing the house.

Oh, thank Goddess! Whoever this mystery person was, I was forever in his debt. "Yes, please," I replied. At least if I blushed, no one would've been able to tell since all my blood was in my head anyway.

The snow crunched beneath the mystery person's feet and I could see him standing off to my left, probably trying to wonder how I got into this predicament in the first place. Hmm. He looked vaguely familiar. Silver hair, green eyes, somewhat feminine features. Not to say that didn't detract from his overall good looks. Wait a minute…

"You're the Phantom Thief!" I gasped, which was the worst possible thing to do at that particular moment. My foot slipped off the edge of the gutter and one string of lights snapped, and I started to drop.

"Claire!" The thief tried to catch me, but instead just cushioned my fall.

"Oof!" I could feel the breath rush out of each of us as I landed on top of him, receiving a face full of scarf. Yum.

After the shock of what just happened subsided, I rolled off of him and tried to catch my breath. "How do you know my name?" I asked, bewildered.

"We've… met before. But you probably don't remember," he looked over at me and grinned. "I was stealing some stuff from Romana's mansion."

"Of course I remember. It's just weird that you know my name," I said, looking up at the stars.

"I have my sources," he said, standing up and offering me a hand.

"I'm sure you do," I muttered as he helped me up. "Oh, head rush," I took a step back as a black haze filled my vision for a few moments. A pair of strong hands grabbed my shoulders, steadying me.

"You should probably get inside and sit down," he guided me towards the front door. "My name's Skye, by the way."

"Thanks, Skye," I said, my hand on the door knob. "Really, if there's anything I can do, just tell me."

Skye chuckled and pointed up to the top of the doorframe. I looked up and noticed that there was a…. sprig of mistletoe?! Who the hell put that there?!

"Uh, well, I guess that means," was how far I got before he kissed me. It was sweet and gentle, and I closed my eyes, hoping that it could go on forever, even if I had only met him twice.

xXxXx

It was my first Christmas here in Forget-Me-Not Valley. Let me clarify: the first Christmas that I would share with my husband, Skye. At the moment, I was sitting outside on the ground holding a large bundle of extension cords in my lap as Skye attempted to scale our house.

Since he had never "properly" celebrated Christmas as a kid, he insisted on doing pretty much everything holiday related. We already had a Christmas tree; tomorrow we were going caroling, which I was still hoping to talk him out of; and Skye had insisted that I dress up as Mrs. Claus. Granted the outfit was rather skimpy… and only meant to be worn, and taken off, in the bedroom. But still.

Ever since the first time we'd met, I had pledged to never put up Christmas lights again, even if it did result with a kiss from Skye, but since it was holiday-related, he insisted.

So here I was sitting bundled up in a foot of bone-chilling snow as Skye tried to string up some lights along the roof.

"Claire," Skye called down from his place on the roof. "Can you hand me the tool box?"

"Oh, you mean that pink one covered in glittery flowers?" I snickered, pointing at the box that was sitting by the front door.

"Just hand it to me, please," he said, rolling his eyes.

"Fine, but only if you promise not to fall off the roof," I said, holding the tool box up to him with a grin.

Amusement twinkled in Skye's green eyes and he smirked as he said, "I promise."


	3. Baby, It's Cold Outside

**A/N**: So I pretty much think this is one of the most adorable pairings ever. And once I started writing, it seemed like I couldn't stop. I could have turned this into a longfic if I wanted to. xD Anyway, I hope I kept Kai and Mary in-character. I feel like there are a couple places that seem OOC, but the rest of it should be fine. Enjoy! (:

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Harvest Moon or any of its characters or plots. This fanfiction is merely for recreational purposes.

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**Baby, It's Cold Outside**  
December 16, 2008  
_Mary x Kai_

The wind was whistling loudly outside. A blizzard had started to move into Mineral Town, and I was sitting peacefully in my quiet library reading a book when the door slammed open.

Startled out of my wits, I dropped the book on the floor and almost jumped out of my seat. "Oh, no! The pages!" I picked up the book hastily and smoothed the edges of the now bent pages before turning my gaze to the intruder. Surprisingly, I came face to face with Kai.

"K-Kai? What are you doing here?" I asked incredulously in my ironically quiet voice. Kai, a tanned-traveler who ran the Snack Shack on the beach, only stayed during the summer season, but I suppose that had changed. All that aside, I was even more stunned to see him standing in my library.

"Why, I came to make sure you didn't go out in this blizzard, Mary," he said, leaning in the doorway, and then winked at me. I blushed furiously.

After a minute, I stood up and closed the door before the snow started to build up inside. "Um, okay? Come in, I guess," I ushered timidly, steering him to a chair.

"Gray said that it was important and that I needed to get here ASAP or else you might freeze to death," Kai explained, sitting down and unwrapping his scarf.

"This library is heated," I mentioned quietly. _And I am capable of taking care of myself, thank you very much. _

"Yeah, but he thought you might try to go outside or something."

"…He didn't really say that, did he?" I asked after a pause, watching as Kai tried unsuccessfully to unzip his black winter coat.

He gazed at me for a moment before sighing. "Of course not. Actually, I was getting tired of Gray and Claire's lovey-dovey crap, so I left. It was kind of getting obscene. I figured you might want some company. Plus, I think every other place in town is closed," he grinned at me before trying again to take off his coat.

"I, um, thank you? I don't know if I'm really going to be good company, though. I was just going to read," I admitted, glancing quickly at the book on my chair and then back at Kai.

"Oh. Well, if you don't want me here," Kai trailed off, standing up and making his way to the door.

"Oh, um, it's not that," I said uncomfortably, following behind. "You can stay if you want."

"No, really, it's okay," Kai assured me. He opened the door, upon which the force of the wind blew him backwards right into me. I landed on the wooden floor with a thud and Kai landed on top of me, knocking all the breath out of my lungs. The door stayed open for all of this, letting snow and freezing wind into my poor library.

We stayed on the floor for a few moments, probably too shocked to do anything. "Kai," I gasped into the back of his coat after a while. "You're squishing me."

"Oh!" Promptly, Kai rolled off of me, raced to the door, and closed it with much difficulty before rushing back to me. "Are you alright?" he asked, helping me up.

"I think so," I rubbed the back of my head and took a seat in my chair.

"Well, it looks like I won't be going anywhere anytime soon," Kai observed. "Sorry about that."

So for some Goddess-knows-what reason, Kai was spending the winter here in Mineral Town, there was a blizzard outside that made me briefly consider that the apocalypse had come, and I was stuck here in my library with none other than Kai himself. It was going to be a long day.

"What are you doing here? In Mineral Town, I mean," I asked after a little while. Kai was browsing through the different books on the shelves and then turned to look at me.

"Ah, I don't really know. Just wanted to try something new, I guess. And I kind of missed the winter," he confessed. "I've haven't experienced a true winter since I was a kid living in the city. I travel to tropical, warm locations once the weather starts to get cooler."

"I see," I thought to myself for a while, studying the arms of my chair. "Well, what about Popuri? Shouldn't you be visiting her?"

"Quite the nosy one, aren't we," Kai murmured and turned back to the bookshelf.

I was about to say something, but he continued.

"We broke up a while ago, and now she's living with the farmer in the next town over. I'm surprised you didn't know. It was all anyone talked about for a while," he turned to face me and smiled. "But that's all in the past now."

"Sorry," I apologized. The truth was I never kept up with all the gossip that this town seemed to generate. At least, not any concerning romance and whatnot. It never had anything to do with me, anyway. No one in this town really appealed to me, and I supposed that I never appealed to anyone, either.

"What are you thinking about?" Kai suddenly asked, and I flinched when I realized that he was standing right in front of me, bent over so our faces were level.

"Oh, um, nothing. It was nothing," I said quickly, trying to look anywhere but his face. Whenever our eyes met, I got this strange feeling. It was as if he could see past my eyes and right into my mind. It was sort of disturbing, really.

Kai straightened back up. "Okay." He seemed to have dropped the subject, but his expression said otherwise. For the third time that day, he attempted in vain to unzip his coat.

"Ah, here, let me help," I got out of the chair so I was standing right in front of him. Grabbing hold of the zipper pull, I was about to tug the zipper down when Kai caught one of my hands in his, startling me once again.

"You play the piano, right?" he asked softly, studying my fingers. Needless to say, I blushed at what he was doing.

"Y-yes. Well, technically, it's the organ, but they're similar," I replied and looked nervously at the floor.

"I'd like to hear you play sometime," he grinned and dropped my hand. I let out a breath I didn't even know I'd been holding. "Sorry for interrupting," Kai gestured to the zipper of his jacket.

When I resumed the task of helping him get the zipper unstuck, I realized just how close we were standing. My heart started pounding frantically in my chest, it became harder to breathe, and I started feeling a bit dizzy. Apparently, what I had been thinking about not being attracted to anyone in Mineral Town was wrong. So very, very incorrect. Or perhaps not. Kai wasn't _really_ a villager, just a traveler. But either way, I found myself attracted to him – very much so.

I fumbled with the zipper during this epiphany, my hands slightly shaking. Obviously, I was making little to no progress with this. After a while, I gave up on the zipper and dropped my hands to my sides. "I-I can't seem to get it," I said with an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry."

"Mary, are you alright?" Kai asked, his eyes searching my face.

"I'm fine," I lied, looking away again. Why did this realization have to come now? Couldn't it have occurred later, when I was alone and _not_ with Kai?

The back of his fingers brushed across my cheek and I threw an alarmed glance at the traveler.

"You feel a little warm," Kai observed, and brought his face closer to mine. "Or are you just blushing?" He grinned again and I almost choked on a breath of air.

"N-No! Of course not!" I fibbed, and if it were possible, my face would have gotten redder.

"Aw, do you like me, Mary?" Kai teased, though there was a hint of seriousness behind his words. I stayed silent and looked at my feet in embarrassment.

"Mary?" He put his hand under my chin and tilted my face up so he could look me straight in the eyes.

"Well, do _you_?" I managed to ask coherently. Perhaps this question would throw him off and move the spotlight onto him instead of me. Hah. Take that, Kai.

"Do I what?" Kai had a twinkle in his eye. He was enjoying this a great deal.

"Like me?" I clarified, the volume of my voice diminishing as I realized my efforts at a good comeback were futile.

"Yes," he said straight faced and without hesitation. Wait. _What?_ "But you didn't answer my question."

"I-I, um, what?" All of the thoughts in my head seemed to disperse, leaving me rather confused and disoriented. Kai _liked_ **me**? Then I looked straight into his brown eyes and without a moment's notice, Kai kissed me. His hand traveled to the back of my neck, the other one to my waist while mine instinctively went to his shoulders.

"Kai?" I asked bewilderedly, once we broke apart. "What's this all about? You… you came here because you were… I thought you had to?"

Kai chuckled and shook his head. "You missed one thing in that story. Claire and Gray are _never_ lovey-dovey. They basically hate each other."

I resisted the urge to slap my forehead. How could I have missed something so obvious? "So… you actually came here because you _wanted_ to?" I seemed to be processing things at a very slow rate today.

"Of course," Kai said. "As I said before – I like you, Mary."

"B-but… how did you know I was going to say yes?"

"Your face is like an open book," Kai smiled brushed a stray strand of hair out of my eyes. Ah, so he _could_ see into my mind. That explained a lot.

I thought for a moment, still blushing. "So, what am I saying now?" I looked him straight in the eyes with whatever confidence I had left, though I didn't have much to begin with.

Kai smiled, leaned down, and kissed me again, but unlike the first one, this was more passionate, more urgent. In all honesty, I had no idea what I was supposed to be doing. I had never kissed anyone in my entire life, but Kai seemed to think I was doing well enough. By the time we stopped for air, I was pinned against a bookcase and Kai's forehead was resting against mine. I was surprised I hadn't fainted yet – I was so overwhelmed.

"That's not what I was saying, Kai," I said quietly with a smile.

"I know. I couldn't resist." He was silent for a while and I watched him curiously.

"What are you thinking about?"

"I knew there was a reason I missed winter," Kai replied with a heart-stopping grin.


	4. Frosty the Snowman

**A/N**: Technically, it's still the 17th where I live, so I did, in fact, get this up in time! -throws confetti- Thanks to Jaime (aka Space Cadet) for editing my rough draft of this story, and for helping me with ideas. :D I really like the way this oneshot turned out, even if it is a little bit shorter than the first three. Dedicated to the _Gil Fanclub_ on Ushi, since they're just so awesome.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Harvest Moon or any of its plots or characters. This fanfiction is merely for recreational purposes.

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**Frosty the Snowman**  
December 17, 2008  
_Gil x Akari_

"Gil!" Unable to contain my excitement, I burst into the town hall and skipped to the desk where my boyfriend was sitting. "Gil, guess what, guess what!"

"What is it, Akari?" He looked up at me with his blue-gray eyes, and I smiled.

I twirled around the room and almost hit a shelf. "It's snowing!"

"I can see that," he replied coolly and returned to his work. "And you should stop doing that before you hurt yourself."

Obediently, I quit twirling and walked over to go sit in his lap. "We should go play in the snow!" I said, ruffling his blonde hair. He looked at me with an annoyed expression.

"Akari," he warned, "Stop that."

"Aw, come on," I whined. "You know you want to!" I placed my head on his shoulder, but he continued to work around me, pretending I wasn't there.

"Hey, don't ignore me!" I complained, poking him in the cheek with my index finger.

Gil chuckled and paused for a moment. "Trust me, it's not easy."

I leaned back up and looked him in the eyes. "That was mean!" I pretended to pout, but he ignored that, too.

I huffed and got off Gil's lap. "Come on," I urged, tugging on his sleeve. "Let's go outside!"

"Why do you want to go outside so badly?" he asked, continuing his work.

"Uh, hello? It's _snowing_. Have you just been ignoring me for the past ten minutes or something?" I put my hands on my hips and Gil looked at me with his "Did you really just say that?" expression. "Wait. Don't answer that."

Gil rolled his eyes and returned to his work, scribbling away on his clipboard.

"Gilly-kins!" I whined and grabbed hold of his sleeve again. "Come on!"

After many minutes spent tugging and complaining, he finally agreed to go outside, but on one condition.

"Don't ever call me "Gilly-kins" again."

xXxXx

"So, now what?" Gil asked once we were outside. We were in Waffle Town Square, standing in about a foot of newly fallen snow.

I surveyed the square and picked up a handful of snow. It was the kind of snow that was good for making snowballs and building snow forts - not too wet but not overly powdery, so it packed together easily.

"I know! Let's make a snowman!" I pumped a fist in the air excitedly and set to work. Gil sighed at my enthusiasm, but proceeded to work with me.

After rolling little snowballs around in the snow, we managed to create a rough sculpture of a snowman. It was still in its basic stages: it had the regular shape, but no details. I watched as Gil took a handful of snow and styled it on top of the head.

"Who is it?" I asked, tilting my head to the side.

"I don't know," Gil admitted. "But he needed some hair."

I studied the snowman for a while before throwing a mischievous grin at Gil and  
stepping forward to sculpt the torso. I packed the snow around the middle and created a few lumps in the center.

"There." I stepped back to admire my work, wiping the excess snow off of my gloved hands.

"You gave our snowman a six pack?" Gil asked incredulously. If they could've, his eyes would have popped right out of his cute little head.

"Yup!" I sidled up to our strange snowman. "Now he's _handsome_. I think you might have some competition, Gil." I smirked at my bewildered boyfriend.

Suddenly, Gil kicked the snowman in half. "Oops. He died."

"Aww, were you jealous?" I teased. I took a few steps toward him so we were only a few inches apart and looked up at him with a grin.

"Jealous of a snowman? I think not, Akari," Gil said, but the faint blush on his cheeks clearly told me otherwise.

"You're too cute!" I suppressed the mild urge to pinch his cheeks as if he were the most adorable thing in the world, though he probably was, and smiled at him. He took a step backwards when I tried to stand up on my tiptoes and kiss him.

"Not here, Akari," Gil reminded me with a smile. There was a twinkle in his eyes that implied he had ideas for later.

"Fine," I conceded. Gil had some rules about public displays of affection, even when there was no one around. It was probably because his dad, the mayor, rather liked to spy on us when we were anywhere but my house. I swear the guy could pop out of nowhere. "But just for that," I continued, bending down to pick up and form a snowball, "you get this!" I threw the snowball at him, but failed miserably in hitting the target. Damn.

Before I had time to react, Gil had managed to create a snowball of his own and lobbed it at me. It hit me right in the chest, so instead of trying to throw another one at him, I faked a look of horror and fell dramatically into the white powder. I could hear him jog over and kneel down into the snow beside me.

"Akari?" He asked, his voice seeming surprisingly close to my face. "I'm not going to have to perform CPR on you, am I?"

One corner of my mouth twitched as I attempted to hold back a grin, and then I could feel his lips on mine for a fleeting moment. I opened my eyes in shock and found his face hovering over mine as he grinned at me.

"What was that for?" So much for his rules regarding PDA.

"You're too cute," he replied, and I tackled him with a hug.


	5. Silent Night

**A/N**: Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to read and review. :D This next one was written for kittykyo5467, who requested this particular pairing. Next up is Akari x Tao, who was requested by NOYB. Just a note on that - I haven't played a lot of ToT, so I'm sorry in advance if it seems a little weird or out-of-character. Anyway, I liked writing this pairing and story more than I thought I would, and I hope everyone enjoys reading it. If I wasn't already a Gil fangirl (-shot-), I'd definitely be a Vaughn fanatic. Also, some of these oneshots have nothing in common with the actual songs that the titles are based off of. xD I just liked the idea of using Christmas/winter songs as titles for my oneshots.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Harvest Moon or any of its plots or characters. This fanfiction is merely for recreational purposes.

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**Silent Night  
**December 18, 2008  
_Chelsea x Vaughn_

It wasn't that I was lazy; I just liked the night more than the day. I could sleep in well past noon and stay up until six or seven the next morning. Taro was constantly bringing it up, telling me that it was unsuitable for a farmer to sleep in so late. Chelsea this, Chelsea that, blah, blah, blah. I loved the old man dearly, but sometimes he could be so irritating sometimes. Either way, I was very much a night owl, and definitely not a morning person. It was for this reason that I found myself walking to the Diner in East Town on Christmas Eve.

The snow crunched beneath my snow boots and I whistled a random tune as I wandered down the road. It was a perfect night for stargazing here on Sunshine Island. The lack of clouds made the stars stand out, though it caused the temperature to drop immeasurably.

Upon reaching the diner, I pulled open the door and the smell of delicious food hit me. I suddenly realized just how hungry I really was and ordered a plate of curry.

"Vaughn?" I took a seat opposite the stoic animal trader as he regarded me with wary violet eyes. "What are you doing here? It's Thursday night; shouldn't you be heading home by now?"

There was a pause while he considered whether or not to say anything, but in the end he replied, "The captain is on break for a couple days. Said he needed time off for the holidays and won't be back until Monday."

"So why are you sitting in the diner all alone on Christmas Eve?" I asked. "This is the time of year you should be spending with family and friends."

"I could ask the same of you," he replied with what almost looked to be a smirk.

"Touché." I nodded and thought for a while. I took a few bites of my food and noticed he wasn't eating anything. "Aren't you hungry?"

"No."

His monosyllabic answer threw me off for a moment, though it really shouldn't have. Vaughn wasn't one for chitchat. I finished up my food in a few big mouthfuls and pushed my plate off to the side. "Hey, you wanna do something?"

"Not really."

Despite this answer, I got up and managed to drag him outside with me. I towed him along towards the eastern most side of the island. The walk was a long one and after a while, Vaughn must have gotten tired of me tugging on his sleeve, so he grabbed hold of my hand instead. My eyes widened when I felt his hand wrap around my considerably smaller one and I looked over to see his face. Unfortunately, his black cowboy hat was in the way. Stupid hat.

"Where are we going?" He asked after a while. We had probably been walking for about five or ten minutes.

"You'll see."

The meadow stretched out before us, the layer of snow untouched by anything. Well, I guess we were going to ruin that. I pulled Vaughn out to the middle of the meadow and sat down in the snow without hesitation.

I patted the spot next to me, motioning for him to sit down next to me. Reluctantly, he took a seat beside me in the snow and looked around the area. "What are we doing here?"

"Stargazing, of course," I said and leaned back into the snow. He followed suit and we spent the better part of the night looking up at the dark sky.

"There's a shooting star," I murmured, watching as it flew past, leaving a trail of white and blue in its wake.

"Are you going to make a wish?" Vaughn asked, speaking up for the first time in a while.

"Why would I do that?"

"Isn't that what you're supposed to do?"

"Maybe, maybe not." I glanced over at Vaughn, whose hat had fallen off. I reached over and grabbed it, placing it on my head haphazardly. The front of it rested on my forehead while the back was in the snow.

Without saying anything, Vaughn took it back and placed it on the other side of him where I couldn't reach it. "Hey, I was wearing that!" I protested, but didn't try to get it back.

"Here. Wear this instead." A large blanket of black was thrown on top of me and it took me a while before I realized it was his jacket. I put it on gratefully and lay back down in the snow.

"Aren't you going to get cold?" I looked at Vaughn and he glanced back at me.

"I'm fine."

I shrugged and returned my gaze to the stars.

"Chelsea?"

My eyes widened as I realized that Vaughn had actually called me by my name for the first time that night. "Yeah?"

"Thanks."

I smiled and reached for his hand, intertwining my fingers with his. "No problem."


	6. Winter Wonderland

**A/N**: Okay, so this one is really kind of short. BUT, I was stuck driving around in snow today and hanging out with my family. Which isn't really much of an excuse, but still. And, it's late. D: Though only by twenty minutes. If I lived in Hawaii, it wouldn't be late... Okay, enough with excuses. I had the hardest time writing this, mostly because I haven't been able to play a lot of ToT, so I really have no idea what Tao's personality is supposed to be like. I hope I got it right, and I think that despite its shortness, most people will like this oneshot. I hope. So, NOYB, I hope you like this, since you requested this pairing. :) That said, I have no idea what I'm going to do for the next chapter, so if someone wants to request a pairing, I'm all ears.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Harvest Moon or any of its characters or plots. This fanfiction is merely for recreational purposes.

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**Winter Wonderland**  
December 19, 2008  
_Tao x Akari_

It was well past noon, and Tao was nowhere to be found. Inside the Sundae Inn, that is. I was waiting patiently for him at one of the tables, downing glass after glass of water. I'd probably need to pee really bad in a bit. The laid-back fisherman was supposed to give me a fishing lesson that afternoon, even though it was snowing and below freezing.

"Fishing is a year-round hobby," he'd reminded me in his ever gentle voice. "Plus, you were the one that asked for lessons."

I sighed and looked around the Inn once more. Nope, still no sign of him. Maybe he forgot…?

I thanked Kathy for letting me stay for a while and walked out into Waffle Town. If he forgot, then he was going to get it. I hated being stood up. And dammit, I was not going to be stood up by Tao of all people. Beginning my search for Tao, I decided to stop by the pier and check the Fish Shop.

"Sorry. Tao hasn't come by today. He's probably off sitting at home or something," Ozzie said, sitting behind the counter with a fish in hand.

I nodded my thanks and set out for Tao's house. Oh, he was so going to get it.

Trudging into Maple Lake District, I was distracted for a moment by that lake that had recently been frozen over. Everything here looked beautiful; even the few weeds scattered along the ground were made pretty by frozen dew drops and a dusting of snow. It was truly a winter wonderland. As I took in everything around me, I noticed the large, towering poof of white that was known as Ben's Tree. I also noticed that there was something leaning against its trunk. Or someone.

Curiously, I walked towards the tree and paused when I realized who it was. It was Tao, sitting against the trunk, his head lolling off to the side. His fishing pole was in the snow next to him.

"Tao?" I started sprinting towards him, kicking up snow in my wake. I swiftly let go of my anger towards him as panic took over. He wasn't hurt, right? Oh goddess, please let him be okay.

"Tao!" I fell into the snow beside him on my knees and grabbed his shoulders. "Hey, come on, get up!" I shook him desperately, trying to hold back tears. After a minute, I gave up and dropped my hands from his shoulders. "Tao…"

"Eh, what?" I looked up in disbelief to see that he was drowsily opening his eyes and looking around confusedly.

"Tao!" In a moment of glee, I threw myself at the fisherman, wrapping my arms around him. "You're alive!"

"I… was taking a nap," he said slowly, probably wondering what in the world was going on.

"You dummy! Don't ever scare me like that again!" I tried to sound angry, but I was too relieved.

"Akari?"

"Yeah?"

"You can get off me, now."

"Oh, ah, right," I quickly stood up and held out a hand to help him up.

"Sorry for tackling you. I was just worried," I apologized, looking away to hide my blush.

After wiping off his clothes and picking up his fishing rod, Tao turned to face me. "It's okay. We all do weird things when we're in love," he said completely straight-faced. "Now, how about that fishing lesson?" He walked off towards the direction of the beach without waiting for me to say anything.

When… we're… in love? What?!

"HEY! GET BACK HERE!" I chased after Tao, shaking my fist in the air. "WHEN DID I EVER SAY I WAS IN LOVE WITH YOU?!"


	7. Candy Cane Street

**A/N**: So, I was looking for some more Christmas/winter songs I could use as titles, and I stumbled upon one called _Candy Cane Street_. The song itself sucks, but I liked the title, and a Gray/Claire moment popped into my head once I started brainstorming. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Harvest Moon or any of its plots or characters. This fanfiction is merely for recreational purposes.

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**Candy Cane Street  
**December 20, 2008  
_Gray x Claire_

"Can you believe it's almost Christmas?" I said excitedly to Ann as she mixed up a drink for me at the bar.

"I know!" She grinned, placing some sort of pale concoction in front of me. "I always love this time of year. It's so much fun!"

"Agreed." I nodded eagerly and took a sip of the drink. Almost as soon as the liquid entered my mouth, I resisted the urge to spit it out and swallowed reluctantly. "Ann, what _is_ this?"

"Why, it's eggnog, of course," she answered, brushing a few strands of red hair out of her face. "Only, we're out of liquor, so I had to use beer."

"Gross, Ann!" I pushed the glass away from me and into the hands of the unsuspecting Gray who had just sat in the stool next to me.

"Oh. Thanks, Claire," he said, grabbing hold of the cup.

"No, wait! Don't!" I tried to snatch the drink back, but Gray had already lifted the glass up to his mouth and taken a sip. Unlike me, he couldn't find the nerve to swallow, so he coughed and spit the "eggnog" back into the glass.

"That's disgusting!" Gray wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and pushed the cup back towards me.

"I know. It's Ann's version of eggnog. With beer," I rolled my eyes and threw an exasperated glance at my friend.

"I repeat: that's disgusting."

"Oh, give it a rest," Ann snapped, dumping the beverage into the sink and rinsing out the excess.

"So, what's your favorite thing about this time of year?" I asked both Ann and Gray, trying to change the subject.

"Cookies. Duh." Ann smiled as she wandered off into a daydream concerning an array of confections.

"Nothing, really," Gray admitted, resting his head on his palm.

"Oh, come on. There must be _something_," I prodded, nudging him with my elbow.

"Nope."

"Well, what about Christmas trees?"

Gray shook his head and looked off into space.

"Presents? Lights? Snow? Anything?"

All things were shot down with a quick shake of his head.

"Well, Gray," I declared, poking him in the side, "I am going to find one thing that you will like about this time of year."

"You do that," he said absentmindedly.

"You bet I will!" I announced dramatically and left the Inn.

"Gray! Gray!" I called out the next day, jogging to the blacksmith who was a ways down the road. He turned around and waited for me to catch up to him. "Look what I've got!" I waved a red and white striped stick of candy in front of his face rapidly and he grabbed my wrist to he could see it properly.

"What the hell is that?" he asked, scrutinizing the object.

I smiled and starting waving it around again. "It's a candy cane! They're really yummy."

"A candy cane?"

"Yeah!" I stuck one end in my mouth after pulling off the plastic wrapper. "They taste like peppermint," I managed to say around the candy in my mouth.

"Here, let me taste," Gray said, stepping towards me.

"Okay," I held out the candy towards him. "Here you g-"

Apparently, tasting the candy itself was not what Gray had in mind, as he was now kissing me. After what felt like both an hour and a minute, he pulled back and grinned.

"You're right. They do taste like peppermint."

"Well… well… Oh, now you've made me go and forget the reason I was bringing one to you!" I accused him, trying to straighten out my thoughts.

Gray shrugged. "That's alright. I decided that there is one thing I like about this time of year."

"R-really? And… what would that be?" I struggled to keep my blush hidden and looked at Gray's baseball cap instead of his eyes.

"Candy canes," Gray replied without hesitation, and I managed to steal a look at his face to see a glimmer of mischievousness in his blue eyes.


	8. Sleigh Ride

**A/N**: Some of the incidents in this story actually happened to me a couple years ago. xD It was great fun, but hurt like hell afterwards. And now I have almost three feet of snow to go sledding in. Yay! I've noticed that my oneshots seem to be getting shorter... D: But I think the shorter ones are better than the longer ones. Also, I always seem to miss the deadline by a few minutes. Gah. Anyway, I hope you all like this one! :) If you have any requests, please tell me. I don't know what I'm going to do for the next few pairings anyway.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Harvest Moon or any of its characters or plots. This fanfiction is merely for recreational purposes.

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**Sleigh Ride**  
December 21, 2008  
_Jack x Claire  
_

I was cleaning up my kitchen when someone knocked on the door. Outside, Jack was standing in the snow with a couple sleds, and without waiting, he invited himself in and plopped down onto the couch. "Morning, Claire."

"Hi, Jack," I greeted and went back to the kitchen. Jack owned a farm in Forget-Me-Not Valley, and we'd been seeing each other for a few years. It had become just a normal routine of visiting on the weekends, and this just happened to be his weekend to come over to Mineral Town. After pulling off his scarf, coat, and hat, he got up and walked to stand behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist as I scrubbed away at some dishes.

"So, I noticed that you never gave me a proper 'hello'," he murmured in my ear, and turned me around to face him. I looked up at him with a smile and stood up on my tiptoes; he leaned down to close the gap between our lips.

Pulling away, he grinned and mussed up my blonde hair in his normal cocky manner. "So, what say you and me go sledding today?"

"Sledding? Oh, I don't know, Jack," I said doubtfully. Not only was the walk up to Mother's Hill a long one, but I had memories of some bad sledding incidents as a kid. Specifically, ones concerning crashing and trees.

"Aw, come on, Claire," Jack begged. "It'll be fun, I promise."

There must have been something about the way he said it because I agreed. That, or his big brown eyes and auburn hair were so adorable that I spaced out and nodded absentmindedly. Crap.

So I eventually found myself standing hand in hand with Jack at the top of Mother's Hill. Before all this, I had never realized how tall Mother's Hill was, and holy cow was it tall. "Um, Jack? Maybe this wasn't such a good idea…"

"Nonsense!" Jack whipped out a sled made of foam and plastic and placed it on the snow in front of us. "Do you want to sit on the front or the back?"

I sighed and mumbled, "Back."

Trying to get ourselves on the sled proved to be rather difficult. More than twice, the sled decided that it wanted to leave without us, but Jack managed to catch it before it went too far.

We were almost positioned on the sled when I accidentally leaned forward a little too far, and it all went downhill from there – pun intended. Jack was sitting almost cross-legged in the front and I was hanging onto him for dear life as we raced towards the bottom on our flimsy piece of plastic.

Too scared even to scream, I watched with wide eyes as we missed trees by millimeters and flew off bumps in the snow, almost flipping over. To sum it up, this was a ride of death. I even heard Jack yell a couple times.

And then one of the edges hit a tree and we were gliding _backwards_ on the snow. I heard Jack curse under his breath and he looked over his shoulder to see where we were going.

All of the sudden, the snow leveled out and I thought it was over. Hah. What a nice ending that would have been. A few seconds later, we were flying through the air, all going in different directions and shouting at the top of our lungs. The snow had merely been a plateau of sorts, and dropped again, sending us into the air.

I landed with a thump in the snow, all the breath knocked out of me. Luckily, the snow was deep enough to cushion my fall – to an extent. I heard Jack land somewhere nearby and I waited for my breath to come back. "Holy shit," I said, loud enough for Jack to hear.

He was kneeling over me in a few seconds, helping me up and brushing the snow off of my face. "Man, that was one hell of a ride. Are you okay, Claire?"

I looked at him blankly for a while and then he waved a hand in front of my face.

"Claire?"

"LET'S GO AGAIN!" I yelled, grabbing the sled and starting to make my way back up the mountain. Jack stared after me in shock and followed not too soon after.


	9. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus

**A/N**: Aha! I got this up before midnight! :D Ahem, so anyway, I really like this oneshot, even if it is shorter than most of the other ones. :3 I think you all will like it, too. At least, I hope you will. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Harvest Moon or any of its characters or plots. This fanfiction is merely for recreational purposes.

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**I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus  
**December 22, 2008  
_Rick x Karen_

It was the night before Christmas, and a certain six-year-old child was creeping down the stairs, eager to catch a glimpse of the legendary Santa Claus. The previous years had proved unsuccessful in his quest to see the jolly, red-suited man, but this year would be different. His dark-blonde hair was framed messily around his face and his wire glasses sat crookedly in front of his attentive green eyes. Grabbing onto the banister, he peeked out from behind the stairwell and was, well, surprised to say the least. Sure, he saw Santa Claus, and that itself was cause for celebration. It was what "Santa Claus" was doing that surprised him.

Good old Saint Nick was kissing his mommy front of the Christmas tree. And the word "kissing" was a watered-down term for what they were really doing. With a tiny squeak of shock, Sam, Karen and Rick's eldest, bounded back up the stairs as quietly as possible.

"Emma! Emma!" Sam whispered fiercely, shaking his younger sister awake. Emma was almost five, and had blue eyes and a head of light pink hair. She turned her sleepy eyes to her brother before rubbing them with her tiny hands.

"Sammy?" she asked in her quiet voice and looked at him again.

"Guess what!" Sam sounded excited, which in turn made Emma excited.

"What?" All of the sudden, she had slipped out of bed and was now looking around the room eagerly.

"I saw Santa!" Sam whispered and started pulling Emma towards the stairs.

"You did?!" Emma almost yelled out and Sam put his hand over her mouth to keep her quiet.

"Yeah! And you know what he was doing?" Sam continued, his eyes gleaming with anticipation. Obviously, Emma wouldn't know, so he continued. "Santa and Mommy were 'going at it'!"

Emma furrowed her eyebrows in thought. "What does that mean?"

"I don't know, but I heard Daddy say it once when he was talking to Mommy. I think it means that weird thing we saw Uncle Kai and Aunt Popuri doing that one time."

"Oh," Emma's mouth formed a little circle as she figured out what Sam was talking about.

He proceeded to pull Emma along as they snuck down the wood stairs, quiet as mice.

This time, when they both peeked their heads out from behind the wall, though, what they saw was different. Santa was now sitting on the couch next to Mommy and they were just staring at the fire. Occasionally, Santa would use a metal poker to move the logs around and a few cinders would fly through the air and land in the ashes.

"Sammy, I thought you said they were 'going at it'," Emma whispered to her brother and yawned.

"Well, they _were_," Sam whispered back, confused at how things had changed so quickly.

"Shouldn't we get back to bed? Mommy and Daddy will get mad if they find us here," Emma said, and turned to go back up to bed, but Sam held her in place.

"Wait." He adjusted his position on the stairs and peered out again. "Maybe they'll do it again."

"I don't know, Sammy," Emma trailed off doubtfully, but looked anyway.

After what must have been five minutes, Sam got impatient and stood up, pulling Emma with him. "Come on, let's go to bed."

While Sam was pulling Emma up the stairs, she lost her balance and tripped, hitting her shins on the edge of the stairs. "Ouchie!" Emma whimpered quietly and the expression on her face was heartbreaking.

"Come on," Sam urged, pulling her up to the second floor.

"Hey, Sammy? Santa had blonde hair like Daddy. Isn't that weird?"

"He did?"

Emma nodded rapidly, her pink curls bouncing around.

"Are you sure? You were probably seeing things."

Once Emma was tucked in her bed, Sam made sure she was okay and kissed her forehead before scrambling into his own bed and pulling the covers up to his chin.

"Did you hear that?" Karen asked Rick and turned towards the direction of the stairs.

"Yeah. The kids were probably trying to see if Santa was here," Rick smiled at his wife and they both returned their attention to the flames.

"Good thing they didn't see us making out. That would've been a shock," Karen chuckled, and tugged on the fake white beard that Rick had on.

"Well, I _hope_ they didn't see that." Rick looked over at Karen and they shared a glance that said, "Oh, god."


	10. Last Christmas

**A/N: **Eh, this is kind of late... D: I was stuck shopping for the part of the day I wasn't driving around in the snow for five hours. This oneshot is for AiOkami, who requested Cliff/Ann. I hope I didn't make Cliff out of character. I don't think I have his personality down yet. Actually, I almost wanted to make this a Jack/Ann because the personality seemed to fit him more than Cliff. _Anyway_, I hope you like this. :)

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Harvest Moon or any of its plots or characters. This fanfiction is merely for recreational purposes.

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**Last Christmas  
**December 23, 2008  
_Cliff x Ann_

"Cliff!" Ann sang out and busted into his room on the second floor of the inn, slamming the door into the wall in the process. "Do you know what today is?"

Said person bolted awake and looked around the room, expecting there to be some sort of fire or other such emergency. Cliff's eyes landed on his red-haired girlfriend and the alarmed expression on his face turned into that of relief. Of course it was her. "Ann?"

"It's Christmas Eve!" Ann announced, throwing her arms up in a dramatic gesture. "And you know what that means? It means that tomorrow is Christmas!"

"Really? I had no idea," Cliff deadpanned and flopped back down onto the bed, pulling the covers back over his head.

Just as he had fell back on the bed, the covers were ripped off and Ann was staring down at him. "Hey, we have to- OH MY GODDESS!" Horrified, she ran out of the room with her eyes covered. Or she tried to, anyway. It took a couple times before she could leave without crashing into the wall. Little did she know that Cliff only slept in boxers.

"Crap," Cliff mumbled as he watched Ann's retreating figure and felt his face start to heat up. He rushed to throw on some decent clothing; namely, a pair of jeans and a brown shirt.

He ventured out of the bedroom in search of the energetic waitress and eventually found her downstairs. "Ann?" She was scrubbing the counter as if her life depended on it and her face was bright red.

"Hi, Cliff. I was just going to tell you that we bought some nude - I mean new! - ornaments to hang on the tree. I was wondering if you wanted to help me take them out of the boxers - Boxes! – and put them up," she explained rapidly while avoiding eye contact.

"Uh, sure," Cliff agreed and looked around for the box. The box was sitting next to the door, so he brought it over and set it on the bar. "Now what?"

"Unpack them," Ann replied, still hunched over the counter.

"Hey, you aren't going to not look at me all day, are you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Ann insisted and ducked under the bar, pretending to look for things in the cupboard.

"Ann," Cliff groaned and walked around to the other side of the bar. He bent down to Ann's level and peeked into the cupboard using the other door. "Come on. Don't do this."

Startled, the waitress jumped and hit her head on the top of the cabinet. "Ouch!" She sat back on her knees and rubbed the back of her head. "That hurt."

Boldly, Cliff grabbed Ann's wrist, dragged her over to one of the tables, and sat her in a chair.

"What are you doing?"

"We are going to get past this awkward incident," Cliff stated and took the chair opposite her.

"How?"

"Uh… by talking, I guess." Cliff glanced over at Ann, who was staring down at the tabletop. "You first."

The couple spent most of the day rambling. Ann talked about her mom and how she had died a few years back. Cliff reached across the table and grabbed her hand when she started to choke up. He could relate, since both his mom and sister had disappeared one day when he was just a kid. His father had never even known about him or his sister. Eventually, they moved to lighter topics.

"So, what's the best Christmas you've ever had?" Ann asked. Finally, she was able to look Cliff in the eyes again, even though her mind couldn't control itself and she ended up blushing as red as a tomato. They were now putting up the new ornaments on the Christmas tree, though it looked as if it would collapse any second because of all the decorations piled onto the branches.

"I haven't really had any," Cliff shrugged, placing a gold sphere on one of the higher limbs.

"Not even last year?" Ann pressed. Last year had been the year that Cliff moved to town. They had only started dating a few months ago, but she liked to think that they had been friends since he arrived in Mineral Town.

"You know, last Christmas kind of sucked," Cliff admitted. "Especially since I didn't know anyone here. But this year will be a lot better since now I have _you_." He put an arm around Ann and pulled her in for a hug.

"Aww, you're so corny!" Ann cooed and glanced up at Cliff, who was now blushing and looking at the opposite end of the inn. "But I love it!"


	11. Something Stuck Up in the Chimney

**A/N**: So I know this is late. Three hours, to be exact. But I'm uploading it along with the last chapter, so that counts for something, right? I hope everyone had a good Christmas Eve (or just a good day for those who don't celebrate Christmas). Mine was pretty hectic, but a lot of fun, which is why I didn't have a lot of time to write this. It's kind of short, and the humor might seem a little morbid. I'm working off of six hours of sleep and it's already three in the morning, so I apologize in advance for any mistakes. The song is really called "The Chimney Song," but this title worked better for it and made more sense. Anyway, I'm just rambling now. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Harvest Moon or any of its charcters or plots. This fanfiction is merely for recreational purposes.

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**There's Something Stuck Up in the Chimney**  
December 24, 2008  
_Doctor x Elli_

Stu sat at a chair near the counter where his older sister and her husband were preparing food for the ever nearing Christmas. The kitchen was a mess. Ingredients were splattered all over the place, and just a few moments ago, what looked like a miniature mushroom cloud of flour had risen up into the air while the two were working away on a few batches of cookies. "Elli?"

"Yes, Stu?"

"Do you think Santa will visit our house this year?" Stu was only ten, and Christmas was the one thing he looked forward to every year. He'd never been able to catch a glimpse of Santa since staying up late wasn't something that was easy for him, but he hoped he'd be able to soon.

Elli looked up from her bowl of cookie batter and gave Stu a warm smile. "Of course he will. He always does."

"What if he gets stuck in the chimney?"

"Santa is a magical person, Stu. I don't think a chimney could stop him," Elli reassured him and patted his head affectionately.

Satisfied with her answer, Stu hopped down from his chair and walked over to where Doctor Trent was working on another batch of cookies. He peered up over the top of the bowl and stealthily stuck a finger into the batter when he was sure that Trent wasn't looking. At that moment, the Doctor turned back around and Stu quickly stuck his finger in his mouth and licked off all the batter before he could be stopped.

"I saw that," Trent said with a small smile and shooed Stu out of the kitchen.

Sitting in front of the fireplace, Stu tried to imagine what Santa would look like if he ever met him. Sure, there was the basic red suit and white beard, but that never really described his real appearance. After pondering that, Stu moved onto the chimney. What would happen if Santa _did_ get stuck? But Elli did say that Santa couldn't get stuck in chimneys. And Elli was always right.

Finally, Christmas day rolled around and Stu rapidly annihilated the wrapping paper surrounding his presents, eager to find the prize inside. He was not disappointed with his new toys, though he was a little upset that he hadn't been able to see Santa last night, either.

Elli and Trent watched on as Stu raced his toy cars along the floor and tested out his mini plastic robot. They had bought gifts for each other, but right now they were just reveling in one another's presence.

Suddenly, Stu looked up from his toys and sniffed the air. "Do you guys smell something burning?"

At this, the couple sniffed the air, too. "It's probably just the wood from the fire," Trent explained and leaned back on the couch, putting an arm around Elli.

Stu went back to playing with his gifts, though he knew that it wasn't the wood he had been smelling.

That night, Elli's younger brother snuck out of bed and over to the fireplace, curious. He couldn't see anything, but it sure did smell awful in there. One thought popped into the boy's mind. _Santa Claus_. He must have gotten stuck, which meant that Elli was wrong. There was no other explanation. Stu slipped quietly back into bed with a smile on his face.

Perhaps he hadn't been able to see Santa, but at least there would be the comfort of knowing that he would be there with them for every Christmas.


	12. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

**A/N**: Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! Again, working off of six hours of sleep and it's already three in the morning, so sorry in advance for mistakes. I know I won't have time when I get up later to do anything but get ready to leave, so I'm posting this now. I got the inspiration for this oneshot after playing a game with my cousins yesterday. Something similar happened. xD Anyway, I really hope everyone enjoyed all these oneshots. Thank you to all who reviewed; you guys rock! Enjoy!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Harvest Moon or any of its plots or characters. This fanfiction is merely for recreational purposes.

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**Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer  
**December 25, 2008  
_Jack x Ann_

"Whose turn is it?" Jack asked, looking around the table. He, Gray, Mary, and I were playing some sort of new game that my dad had bought to keep in the rooms at the inn. It seemed to be some sort of guessing game that had us split into pairs – Jack and Gray against Mary and me; boyfriends versus girlfriends.

"Yours, I think," I said and rewound the timer before setting it back on the table.

"How do I put the cards in this thing?" Gray asked as he fumbled around with the slippery cards and the holder for them.

I sighed and looked at Mary, who was sitting quietly next to Gray. "Mary, can you help him put it in?" I asked, gesturing towards the card he was scrutinizing.

Suddenly, Gray started snickering and shook his head at me.

"What?" I went over my previous words in my head, and it dawned on me. "Gray, you asshole, get your mind out of the gutter!" I punched him in the arm, but he just kept laughing.

"Stupid Ann," he said in between laughs.

"Goddess, you're such a pervert." I rolled my eyes at him. "I said that with the most innocent of intentions. You just had to go and make it gross." Despite this, I found myself laughing, too, and we were all laughing our heads off after a few seconds. Well, except for Mary. Her laugh was more of a polite giggle, if that makes sense.

We were finally able to stop laughing and resumed playing. Though I giggled from time to time and that would send us all into laughing fits again.

At one point or another, the four of us ended up talking about the winter season and the coming Christmas.

"You know, I've always wanted to see a reindeer," I admitted out of the blue. "I always hear stories and stuff about them, but I've never seen one before."

Gray and Jack shared a look that seemed to say, "Seriously? That's kind of lame."

"Hey, come on," I said, glaring at the two guys. "It's been a childhood dream of mine. What wrong with that?"

Gray and Jack both smirked. "Nothing. It's just kind of strange," Gray said, and Jack nodded in agreement.

"I think it's cute," Mary piped up and smiled while trying to nudge Gray in the side with her elbow. I knew there was a reason she was my best friend.

"Whatever," Gray snorted, and we returned to our guessing game. Mary and I won, naturally, so Jack and Gray had to buy us dinner. Of course, the two were kind of old-fashioned and probably would have insisted on paying anyway. Oh well.

The next day, as I walked out of the inn on my way to the Goddess Pond, I saw Jack running up the street.

"Ann!" He reached me in a matter of seconds and stood with his hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. "I have something I want to show you." With that, he grabbed my hand and dragged me off towards his farm on the south side of town.

Once on his farm, we walked to the stable and he covered my eyes with his hands. "No peeking," Jack whispered in my ear and guided me inside.

"Jack, what are you doing?" I tried to pry his hands off of my face, but I swear he had robotic arms or something. They just couldn't be moved.

"Take a look," he lifted his hands off of my face and what I saw was a very strange sight indeed. Standing in front of me was Jack's brown stallion, Ace, with a pair of fake reindeer antlers tied to his head. The poor thing looked absolutely miserable and annoyed.

"What did you _do_ to him?" I asked, aghast.

"He's a reindeer!" Jack explained, using air quotes for the word "reindeer". "You know, when you were talking about how you'd always wanted to see one yesterday? Well, since I highly doubt there are any reindeer in Mineral Town, this is the closest I could get to finding one."

I turned around and looked up at Jack. "You… went to all the trouble of tying on reindeer antlers for me?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, you _are_ my girlfriend." Jack scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment, and I threw my arms around him in a bear hug.

"Thank you!" I leaned up and kissed his cheek, causing him to blush. "That's the nicest thing anyone has done for me!"

"…You're welcome," Jack grinned and returned the hug.

"You might want to take the antlers off of Ace, though. He looks like he wants to kill you."


End file.
